Internal-combustion pump



Sept. 3, 1929. I H. FOTTINGER INTERNAL COMBUSTION PUMP Filed Sept. 7,1928 s Sheets-Sh et 1' Sept. 3, 1929. H. FOTTINGER INTERNAL COMBUSTIONPUIP Filed Sept. 'r, 1928 s SheetS-Sheet 2 Inventor Sept. 3,1929. H.FOTTINGER 1,727,280

INTERNAL COMBUSTION PUIP Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES HEBMANN FfiTTINGER, OF BERLIH-WILHEBSDOBF, GERMANY.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PUMP.

' Application filed September 7, 1928, Serial No. 304,569, and inGermany October 21, 1920.

This application is a continuation in part of, my prior and co-pendingapplication Serial No. 510,879, filed October 27, 1921.

The invention relates to the production of power by the use of a gaseousexplosive mixture. Instead of utilizing the force of the explosion toreciprocate a piston, as in the ordinary type of internal combustionengine, I utilize said force to impart increased energy to a liquidmoving as an annular body in a stationary cylinder by its kinetic energyand without the use of any rotor. In carrying out my invention I delivera stream of liquid in a generally tangential direction to asubstantially cylindrical vessel and with sufficient velocity to causethe liquid to form an annular body against the peripheral wall of thevessel, and around a central open space. By controlling the admissionand escape of this rotating body and the pressure within said space, Ivary the size of the central open space, in other words, the radialthickness of thebody of liquid. An explosive mixture is admittedintermittently to the central space of the vessel, which is encircled bythe liquid so that the incoming liquid causes an increase in the volumeof liquid in the chamber, and a corresponding reduction in the volume,and a compression of the explosive mixture. Upon igniting the mixture,the force of the explosion drives the liquid from the chamber withincreased energy over that possessed by the liquid when it entered thechamber. of the escaping liquid is due primarily to the force of theexplosion, but is also due in part to the residual velocity possessed bythe liquid and by virtue of which it maintained its movement as anannular body againstand along tht peripheral wall.

struction does not embody any moving parts other than the controlvalves, and the force of the explosion is utilized for impartingincreased velocity and kinetic energy to the body of liquid continuallymoving by kinetic energy rather than by mechanical-means.

In order that the admission of liquid may be continuous, there ispreferably provided a preliminary air cushioning chamber. The liquid maybe continually delivered to this chamber in a generally tangentialdirection and at such velocity that it forms an annular liquid bodyaround a central air space. It is delivered tangentially from thischamber to the ower 9! Working chamber above referred The high velocityThus, in carrying out my invention the con-' to. The liquid may becontinuously admitted to the preliminary chamber-and intermittentlydelivered to the working chamher, so that the central air will bealternately increased and decreased in size. During the decrease in sizethe air is compressed and this air pressure aids in the forcing of theliquid into the power or working chamber when the inlet port of thelatter is open.

In order that the delivery of liquid from the apparatus may becontinuous, a third chamber may be connected to the outlet of the mainor working chamber, and similar in construction to that of thepreliminary chamher. This third chamber will thus receive liquidintermittently at high velocity from the working chamber, and deliver itcontinuously by reason of its velocity, and byreason of the expansion ofthe air, when the outlet port of the main chamber is closed.

The liquid stream delivered from the apparatus may be utilized in anydesired manner, for instance, for delivery to an elevated point, or foroperating a turbine, or forstorage under pressure. If desired theturbine may be incorporated as a part of the apparatus itself.

By means of my invention a stream of liquid may be continuously admittedand continuously delivered and increased energy imparted to it duringits movement through the apparatus and without the use of any movingparts other than the valves. 7

In the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated certain embodiments ofmyinvention, although it will be obvious that the details illustratedare comparatively unimportant, and that various changes may be made inthe construction and arrangements of the .parts without departing fromthe spirit or scope of my invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of a simple typeof apparatus, the inlet and outlet valves being removed, but theirpositions being indicated in dot and dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, of the apparatusshown in Fig. 1:

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of. Fig. 1, the wall ofrotating liquid being of reduced or minimum thickness, as for instance,at the end of the power step in the cycle;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3. but showing the liquid wall ofincreased thickness. For instance, as at the beginning of the ower stepin the cycle;

Fig. 5 is a sectional-view of a combined guide and non-return or valvemechanism for the liquid;

Fig. 6 is a view of another form of nonreturn mechanism with a doubleflap;

Fig. 7 is a detail of a further form of valve or non-return mechanism;

Fi 7 is a section on the line 7" a of Fig.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a further guide and valve mechanism; 1

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of a further form of engine having an airchamber for receiving the liquid from the working cham- Fig. 10 is asideelevation of the engine shown in Fig. ,9, but on a smaller scale Fig. 11isa longitudinal section of a further form of engine having bothpreliminary and supplemental air chambers;

Fig; 12 is a transverse section on the line 12-12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a sectional detail of the valve mechanism shown in Fig. 11and difiering somewhat in detail from the valve mechanism shown in-Figs.5 to 8 inclusive;

Fig. 145 is a longitudinal section of a further form of engine having aturbine embodied therein; and

Fig. 15 is a transverse section on the line 1515 of'Fig. 14

In the simple form of construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4inclusive, there is provided a substantially cylindrical vessel 4 havingtangentially disposed inlet and outlet passages 8 and 9. These are sodisposed that the liquid entering the passage 8 and travelling aroundthe inner surface of the peripheral wall of the vessel, may build up inthickness along the length of the vessel and may escape through theoutlet passage 9 with the minimum change of direction. At one end of thevessel there are provided one or more inlet valves..1617 for theexplosive mixture or the components thereof and for scavenging air, andat the opposite end is an exhaust port with a suitable valve. Adjacentto the inlet valves there is provided an igniting means, such, forinstance, as a spark plug 7 The liquid inlet and outlet ports orpassages 8 and 9, are provided with suitable non-return valves such as21 and 22. These are illustrated as of the spring pressed poppet type,and so designed as to ofler the minimum resistance as to the flow ofliquid and to insure substantially instantaneous operation.

As will be apparent any suitable form of non-return valve, automatic ormechanical valve mechanism may be employed. The inlet valves 16 and 17for the explosive mixture, the exhaust valve 18, and the igniter 7,

will, of course, be operated and controlled mechanically in suitablytimed relationship,

the same as in any ordinary internal combustion engine, and the detailsof these parts may follow suitable standard practice.

The operation of the engine as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, isas follows:

- The explosive mixture is admitted through the valve 16 or the valve 17or partly through both, and the liquid is admitted through the inlet 8.This liquid is delivered by suitable.

forces the liquid out through the outlet port 9 at high velocity. Itwill be understood that the delivery of liquid through the outlet 9 isdue also in part to the residual velocity by virtue of which it wastravelling around the central gas space before and after the ignition ofthe explosive mixture. The spring of the outlet valve 22 is strongerthan that of the inlet valve 21 so as to permit the opening of theoutlet valve and the delivery of the liquid under this high pressure,but to prevent escape of liquid under low pressure while liquid is beingforced into'the chamben When all or a major portion ofthe liquid hasbeen thus discharged, the exhaust valve 18 is. opened thereby relievingthe chamber of further gas pressure, the liquid outlet valve 22 closes,a fresh charge of explosive mixture is admitted through the inlet ports16 or 17 or both, and liquid is delivered to the chamber through theinlet 8 to compress this fresh,

charge.

If desired, gas may be admitted through the inlet 16 and air through theinlet 17, to form the explosive mixture in the chamber, or one of thesemay serve merely for the delivery of scavenging air at the end of thepower step and before the closing of the exhaust valve 18. One of thevalves 16,17 may serve merely for air and the other for oil or othercombustible liquid to make up the charge.

The liquid which is admitted to the chamber at high velocity, willcontinue to travel around the chamber as an annular body, during thecompression of the charge, the explo sion and expansion thereof, and thedelivery of the liquid. The thickness of this wall of sion. The chargemay be admitted during a portion of the compression step as is common ininternal combustion engine operation and the timing may be varied toobtain the highest efiiciency.

It will be understood that the energy generated by the explosion will betransmitted to the liquid and that thus the liquid will leave thechamber with very materially increased energy over that which itpossessed when admitted. It will also be undei stood that it isessential that the entrance liquid have sufficient energy to cause it tomaintain the annular liquid wall during the compression and explosionsteps of the process. The working space 8 thus performs a sort ofrespiratory movement or pulsation, by varying in diameter, and theperipheral wall of the working space is formed by the rotating liquidring or body. Only the ends of the working space are formed bystationary walls of the chamber, and in these are located the inlet andexhaust ports and the ignition means for the gas.

In order to convert the intermittent delivcry of the working liquid fromthe chamber 4 to a substantially uniform delivery for better utilizationin a turbine or other apparatus, 1 may, and preferably do, provideacushioning device as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The

working chamber shown at the right hand side of Fig. 10 and at the upperpart of Fig.

9, may be substantially identical with that shown in Figs. 1 to 4inclusive, although in the construction illustrated in Figs. 9and 10certain of the details are difi'erent. The

liquid inlet port 8 is disposed at the lower end of the working chamber4, and the outlet port 9 is disposed at the upper part of said chamber.Instead of using the poppet type of inlet and outlet valves, I haveillustrated a series of small flap valves directly in the Wall of theWorking chamber. As shown in Fig. 9 there are a plurality of outletports 14 leading to a passage l4 partly encircling the chamber andleading to the main outlet passage 9. At each of these ports there aresmall,- thin, flexible flaps 48, which permit the outflow of the liquid,with the minimum change of direction, but which instantly close toprevent return flow. The same type of valves may be employed at thelower end for controlling the admission from the port 8 to the workingchamber, but these would have the flaps movable inwardly rather thanoutwardly, as will, of course, be obvious. The outlet valve flaps 48should be stiffer to offer greater resistance than the inlet valveflaps.

Coupled to the main working unit' is a chamber 29, having a central airspace 30 which is closed at both ends. The liquid is intermittentlydelivered through a tangential inlet passage 32, an arcuate passage 32and ports 35, past the flap valves 48 to the chamber 29. Dueto the highvelocity of the liquid, a

liquid body or wall will be formed around the air space and similar tothe body of liquid in the main working chamber. The tangential outletport 33 from the lower end of this ai chamber may be permanently opened,and so that there will be a continuous and substantially uniformdelivery of liquid through this port. A. suitable diffuser 34 mayreceive the liquid from the passage 33 if the high Velocity is to beconverted into pressure.

During the intermittent high speed delivery of liquid to the chamber 29,the Wall of liquid will increase in thickness and air will be compressedin the central space 30. During the interruption of the liquid delivery,that is during the compression step in the main working chamber, thecompressed air in the space 30 will expand and maintain the delivery ofliquid from the chamber 29. Thus the intermittent delivery from theWorking chamber is converted into a substantially uniform delivery asthe air in the center space 30 is alternately compressed and expanded. V

As previously noted the simple type of apparatus shown in Fig. 1, takesin liquid intermittently and delivers it intermittently, while in theconstruction shown in Fig. 9 the liquid is taken in intermittently, anddelivered continuously. Substantially the same type of air chamber usedin insuring continuous delivery may be connected to the inlet of theworking chamber to permit continuous admission of liquid to theapparatus.

A further form of my invention and in which this continuous intake anddelivery of liquid is maintained, is shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13. Theliquid is continuously delivered tangentially to inlet chamber 41, andbuilds up an annular body of liquid around the cen-.

tral space 40. From this the liquid may be delivered approximatelytangentially, but at the same time axially through ports 39, be tweendiagonal guides 39* (see Fig. 13) and past flap valves 48 to the workingchamber. The operation which takes place in this chamber issubstantially the same as that which takes place in the main chambershown in Fig. 1, that is air, combustible gas and scavenging air aredelivered at the proper timed intervals'through the 'ports 16 and 17 thecharges igniting by the spark plug 7 and the exhaust is deliveredthrough the outlet ports 18, to impart the desired increased energy tothe body of liquid circulating in the working chamber. This liquidduring the explosion stroke, escapes through ports 32, between guides 32and past non-return flap valve 42 to the air chamber 29. The liquid maybe continuously delivered from the air chamber 29, past non-returnvalves 42 to the outlet 33. In this construction the liquid iscontinuously admitted to the first air chamber and continuouslydelivered from the last air chamber. It is intermittently delivered fromthe chamber to the last air chamber. In all three chambers it is undersufiicient velocity to maintain the form of an annular circulating body,and greatly increased energy is imparted to it by the force of theexplosions in the working chamber.

In Figs. 14 and 15 there is illustrated an apparatus similar in manyrespects to that shown in Figs. 11 and 12, except that here the liquidis delivered to the first air chamber 41, past a valve 21 substantiallyshown in Fig. 2, but is delivered axially and then guided by vanes 23,so that it enters-the chamber 41 in a generally tangential direction toform the rotating body of liquid.

At the opposite end instead of being delivered through a single outlet33 as in Figs. .9 and -11, it is directed by guiding vanes 25,

similar to vanes 23, to an annular series of adjustable vanes 51,fromwhich it is 'delivered to a turbine 50. Each of these vanes may bepivoted and the pivot 24 of each is connected to a crank'52 on theoutside of the apparatus. The several cranks may be connected to a ring53 which may be oscillated to vary theangle or direction of the vanes51. This arrangement of adjustable vanes and the operating mechanismtherefor, may be a'well known construction, such, for instance, as shownin my prior Patent No. 1,199,361. I

Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive merely show the details ofnon-return flap valveswhich may be employed in any of the forms above described.

Q fixed at the rear and having free ends which p are able to In Fig. 5there are main stationary guides 46, with supplemental guides 47, eachhaving a thin flap 4.8 of such flexibility that it readily bends over totouch the next flap and prevent return flowof liquid. In Fig. 6 each ofthe vanes 47 is provided with a double flap 48 provide the minimummoving mass and afford very great strength. These flaps automatically adust themselves to the directionof the flow of the liquid, but due totheir elasticity,

quickly bend down to closed position. I a

In Fig. 7 I have shown a pair of vanes and .flaps similar to those shownin Fig. 6,- and have shown in solid and dotted lines difierent positionswhich the flap may assume.

In Fig. 8 I haveshown an arrangement of guides and flaps which aredesigned to insure a smooth inner surface for the rotating liquid whenthe latter is not flowing out of the chamber. The chamber 62communicates with the passage "61 through orts between stamembers 63.Eac member has flap 60 which may fold out to the position shown indotted lines, to permit the outflow of liquid,

but hassuflicient rigidity to normally occupy the position shown solidlines to provide a smo th surface or liquid flow around. the

' wall of the vessel. This construction may be employed separatefromeand in advance of the non-return valves if the flaps be veryflexible,

or may constitute the non-return valves if the gy in a turbine orotherapparatus, or by means of a diffuser the velocity may be converted intopressure, and this, pressure stored or utilized in any suitable manner.If the device is to be used for forcing liquid to a high elevation thedelivery pipe leading to such elevation may connect directly to theoutlet of the apparatus.

Having thus -described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An internal combustion pump for increasing the kinetic energy of astream of water, including a chamber having a free and unobstructedinterior,'a cylindrical peripheral wall, a tangentially disposed inletand a tangentially disposed outlet, whereby a stream ofwater may be,intermittently dethat it forms an annular body of water of varyingthickness following said peripheral wall and encircling a central freespace, the ends of said space being provided with means for admitting anexplosive mixture, means for igniting said mixture, and means for ex:

.liv'ered through said inlet at such velocity water, including achamber, having a free and unobstructed interior, a cylindricalperipheral wall, and tangentially disposed inlets and outlets, theinlet, of said chamber including an arcuate surface of guiding vanes andautomatin check valves,said chamber havingmeans for delivering explosivemixture to and exhausting-combustion gases from the central portionthereof and means for igniting said mixture,

whereby a stream of water may be delivered to said chamber to maintainan annular body of rotating liquid acting to compress an explosivemixture during admission of liquid and increase in the thickness ofthe'annular body and delivered from said body athigh velocity uponexplosion of said mixture.

3. An internal combustion pum adapted to receive a stream of liquid andeliver the samewithincreasedkinetlc energy, including a chamber having atangentially disposed inlet,provided with a substantially annular seriesof helically disposed valve controlled passages, said chamber having-thecentral part provided with an inlet for an explosive charge, means forigniting said charge and an stream of Water tangentially to said body atoutlet for combustion gases, the interior of a velocity corresponding tothe centrifugal 15 said chamber being free and unobstructed, forcerequired to maintain the body in an- Whereby a stream of liquid may bedelivered nular form intermittently delivering an ex- 5 to anddischarged from chamber, and Where- P charge to the centlfal Space ellcilcled by the liquid may be delivered to said chamy 531d yfi l Charge15 her at such velocity as will maintain an annu- P g 9111101551011 $a1d a lar body of rotating liquid encircling a cenlgnltmg Sald t a; and lg l f space stream of water from said body in a tangen- 10 4. The methodof increasing the velocity of tlal Fhrectlon the p fi f the a stream ofWater, which includes maintain- P1051011 whereby Increased kmetlc energy15 ing an annular body of Water around a cenlmparted to the Water' tralspace by intermittently delivering a HERMANN FOTTINGER.

